Utah State Head Golf Coach Dean Johansen Named 2013 Utah Section PGA Teacher of the Year

Johansen is in his 14th season as the men's golf coach at Utah State University and in his 16th year with the program.

Utah State men's head golf coach Dean Johansen was recently honored by the Professional Golfers' Association of America as he was named the 2013 Utah Section Teacher of the Year.

March 5, 2014

LOGAN, Utah -
Utah State men's head golf coach Dean Johansen was recently honored by the Professional Golfers' Association of America as he was named the 2013 Utah Section Teacher of the Year.

"It is always exciting when one of your own is recognized publicly and we are thrilled for Dean that he was honored by his peers," said USU Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Barnes.

Johansen is in his 14th season as the men's golf coach at Utah State University and in his 16th year with the program as he also spent two years as an assistant under former USU head coach Dan Roskelley. Johansen is also the assistant golf professional at the Logan Golf & Country Club, having served in that capacity for the past 16 years.

During Utah State's 2012-13 season, Johansen coached the Aggies to nine top 10 finishes in its 11 competitions including a tie for third at the Weber State hosted Battle at the Tetons. Johansen also coached junior Tanner Higham to a first-place tie, losing in a playoff, at the Southern Utah hosted Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational with a 2-under 142 (70-72).

Also during the 2012-13 season, Utah State was one of just 79 Division I men's golf programs to earn the All-Academic Team Award from the Golf Coaches Association of America with an overall grade point average of 3.265, while Higham became the first Aggie golfer in school history to be named a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar.

During Utah State's fall portion of its 2013-14 season, Johansen coached a pair of Aggie golfers to back-to-back tournament wins as Higham shot an 8-under 205 (71-67-67) to win the Boise State hosted Dash Thomas Memorial, while sophomore Seokwon Jeon shot a 7-under 206 (67-71-68) to win the Utah Invitational the following weekend. Overall, it was the first time since 1996 that a Utah State golfer won medalist honors at a tournament.

Johansen graduated from Utah State University in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in philosophy. He prepped at North Sanpete High School in Mt. Pleasant, Utah and is married to the former Laura Hafen. The couple has four boys: Duncan (16), Dawson (16), Beckham (9) and Roman (6).